Doll-like puppet with movable mouth

ABSTRACT

A puppet with a substantially spherical head having a movable mouth which is operated by a pull string. The string is attached to the lower jaw if the lower jaw is to be moved or it is attached to the upper part of the head if the upper part of the mouth is to move with respect to the lower part. The head is supported upright on a rod extending downward therefrom so that the lower end of the rod may be gripped to hold the puppet upright or said lower end may be set into a support. The head may be rotated with respect to the cup-shaped member by rotating the rod and suitable arms may be attached to the cup-shaped member so that this member appears as the upper part of the puppet body.

Oct. 17,1972

United States Patent Harp [57] ABSTRACT A puppet with a substantially spherical head havin MOUTH g a movable mouth which is operated by a pull string. The string is attached to the lower jaw if the lower jaw is to be moved or it is attached to the upper part of the head if the upper part of the mouth is to move with respect to the lower part. The head is supported upright on a rod extending downward therefrom so that the lower end of the rod may be gripped to hold the puppet upright or said lower end may be set into a support. The head may be rotated with respect to the cup-shaped member by rotating the rod and suitable arms may be attached to the cup-shaped member so that this member appears as the upper part of the puppet body.

604 V 2N5 m m h9 n 4 1 e 61 w 6 m m n S m m T B0 N 4 u E m. m m d T r.- H e A u t 8 u i P rC C S a M 5 E m 9 w T m 1, 9 mm m A 6 4 "n r T. Nb .h 2 Huh S u 6 D o GL h H R E T ."& M r. n m N l m U n d 1 C 6 e P .l V H P M h F A UlF N H H P l M 7 2 2 555 5 2,801,495 8/1957 Enlson ....46/l26 2,788,609 4/l957 Rollins.........................46/l26 2 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-J. Q. Lever Attorney-Allen and Chromy PATENTEDnm 1 1 m2 SHEET 1 OF 2 INVENTOR. GRACE E. HARP ATTORNEYS PATENTED BI 11 I912 3.698, 127

SHEEI 2 [IF 2 INVENTOR.

I FIGB I GRACE E, HARP BY ow! ATTOR YS DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This'invention relates to a puppet with a movable mouth.

An object of this invention is to provide a puppet with a movable mouth, said puppet being madeof inexpensive and readily obtainable materials so that it is especially suitable for sale in kit form and may be readily assembled by the purchaser.

Another object of this invention is to provide a puppet with movable mouth, said puppet having a head of generally spherical shape of a lightweight foam or sponge rubber, plastic or the like.

Another object of this invention is to provide a puppet with movable mouth, said puppet havinga head of porous or hard plastic, wood, or similar material, the mouth of the puppet being formed by making an incision into the head and one side of the incision being movable with respect to the other side by pulling on a string which is attached to said head at a predetermined location.

Other and further objects of thisinvention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which it relates from the following specification, claims and drawing.

In accordancewith this invention there is provided a puppet which may be economically and efficiently made from relatively inexpensive material andparts which are readily available and which may be sold in kit form so that the puppet may be assembled by the purchaser of the kit. This puppet is provided with a generally spherical head which may be made of foam rubber, plastic such as polyurethane or extruded foamed styrene, polystyrene or expanded polystyrene in the form of foam, or porous or other lightweight texture or wood or hard plastic. The head is mounted on the upper end of a stick by, inserting the stick into a hole formed therein atan angle such that the front of the head tilts forward at a slight angle. An incision forming the mouth is cut into the forward part of the head. This incision may extend well toward the back of the head leaving enough material to function as a hinge so that the upper part of the incision forming the mouth may be moved with respect to the lower part. If the lower part of the incision, that isthe lower jaw, is to be movable with respect to the upper part, then the incision extends approximately to the center of the head of the puppet. A section of the head having the angle of approximately 45 is removed below the lower jaw and this leaves the lower jaw attached to the head by a relatively narrow plastic portion which functions as the hinge for the lower jaw. This hinge is near the center of the head slightly forward of the rod supporting the head. This arrangement is suitable for use where the head is made of foam rubber or foam polyurethane since these materials are flexible and resilient.

The head of this puppet may also be made of lightweight non-resilient porous plastic such as polystyrene and in that case the head is cut in two into two almost equal parts. The plane of this cut is tilted forward at a slight angle with respect to the supporting rod. The two parts of the head are then hinged together by providing a cloth hinge in the mouth and a section of the back of the head behind this hinge is removed so that the upper part thereof may be tilted with respect to the lower part to simulate the opening and closing of the mouth. .In this embodiment of the invention the mouth manipulatingstring is attached to the back of the head just above the removed section.

Further details and features of this invention will be set forth in the following specification, claims and drawing:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of an embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 with the lower part of the head including the movable lower jaw shown in section;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of the upper part of the puppet showing the hair covering the cavity through which the-rod support of the head is positioned;

FIG. 4 is a side view of another embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the head of the puppet shown in FIG. 4, the movable upper part also being shownin broken outline at the upper limit of its movement;

FIG. 6 is a sectional viewtaken along the line 6 6 of FIG. 4; a

FIG. 7 is a sectional view similar to'FIG. 5 showing the head made of a resilient porous material, the movable upper part also being shown in broken outline at the upper limit of its movement;

FIG. 8 is a front view of another embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the part of FIG. 8 taken along the line 9-9;

FIG. 10 is a side view of still another embodiment of this invention; and

FIG. 11 is a side view of a further embodiment of this invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, reference numeral 10 designates the head of the puppet which is made of porous resilient material such as foam rubber, polyurethane or the like. The head 10 is of generally spherical shape having the section designated by the numeral ll removed therefrom and having an incision 12 which simulates the mouth of the puppet cut. The section 13 forms the lowerjaw of the puppet. This section extends from the incision 12 to the cavity 11 and is attached to the head by the relatively narrow hinge portion 14 which is approximately at the center of the head.

The stick 15 which forms the support of the head is positioned in a hole formed in the head behind the hinge portion 14 so that the stick 15 inserted into this hole projects downward through the cavity 11. The head is provided with a nose 16 which may be a small marble of glass or plastic attached by cement or adhesive to a pin 17 which is inserted into the head 10 above the mouth incision 12. Eyes such as the eye 18 each consist of a capsule of plastic with a colored movable pill-shaped member positioned inside. The eye capsules are attached to suitable pins such as the pin 19 which is inserted into the head and supports the capsule thereon. A strip 20 of foam plastic is attached to the part 13 and simulates the lower lip of the puppet. The hair 21 which is made of several strands of twisted textile filaments is attached to the top of the head by pins or by suitable mucilage, cement or the like and a band 22 is provided over the hair and extends through the cavity 11 to simulate the appearance of a hair ribbon. Several of the strands 21 may be brushed over the sides of the head to partially conceal the cavity 11 and rod 15.

The operating string 23 is attached to the jaw section 13 by inserting this string into the jaw a predetermined distance and then inserting a pin or a piece of a toothpick 24 across the jaw and through the thread 23 to anchor the thread in the jaw and also to prevent the jaw from being deformed when pull is exerted on the string 23 and the mouth is being opened. A finger loop 25 is attached to the bottom of the string 23 to receive the operators forefinger of the hand gripping the lower end of the stick 15. An inverted paper or plastic cup 26 is provided to function as part of the body of the puppet and the bottom 27 and top 28 of the inverted cup are provided with suitable holes for receiving the rod so that the cup is supported on this rod. A pin 30 is positioned in a hole in the rod- 15 below the cover 28 to prevent the cup 26 from sliding down the rod. Suitable holes are also provided in the bottom 27 and top 28 for receiving the operating string 23. Arms such as that indicated at 29 are provided to opposite sides of the cup 26. These arms are made of strands of wire with short filaments of textile material supported between the strands of wire twisted together.

A suitable gown of cloth (not shown) may be draped over the outside of the cup 26 of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, to provide a decorative covering for the cup and in that case the gown may extend downward to conceal the ring 25 and the bottom of the stick 15. The bottom of the gown must of course be open so that the operator has access to the ring 25 and the stick 15 to operate and support the puppet. Also the gown may be pinned to the neck in which case no cup is needed or a cup may be glued or sewed inside the gown. On the other hand instead of the gown, decorations may be painted or pasted on the outside of the cup 26, if desired.

The embodiment of this invention shown in FIG. 4 is provided with a substantially spherical head 31 of a lightweight plastic material which is quite rigid.

This substantially spherical head is cut in two by the incision 32 which forms the mouth of the head and which is lined by layers of cloth 33. One of these layers of cloth is glued to the upper part of the head and the other layer is glued to the lower part. The cloth layers are sewed together at 33a, adjacent to the inner end of the cavity 35 which has been removed from the back of the head to provide clearance when the upper part of the head is tilted by pulling on the drawstring 36 which is attached to the upper part by the pin 37. Thus, the fabric layers sewed together at 33a function as a hinge and also serve as a lining for the mouth. A lead weight 34 is embedded in the head 31 adjacent the incision 32 to facilitate closing of the mouth of the puppet when pulling force is released from the string 36. This lead weight is concealed by the upper cloth layer 33 which is glued to the bottom of the lead weight and to the upper surface of the incision.

The lower part of the head shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, is attached to the stick 37 which is inserted into a hole formed in said lower part and cemented or glued thereto. A collar 38 of sheet material such as cardboard, sheet plastic, or the like is provided around the stick 37 and this collar is attached to the lower part of the head by several pins 39 which are inserted through the collar and into the lower part of the head. The bottom edge of the collar 38 contacts the bottom 40 of the cup 41; however, the bottom edge of the cup of the collar 38 is not attached to the bottom 40 of the cup 41 in order that the head and collar may be rotated with respect to the cup by rotating the stick 37. The stick 37 extends through the cup and suitable holes are provided in the bottom 40 in the cover 42 for receiving the stick 37. A suitable pin 43 is positioned in a hole formed in the stick 37 just below the cover 42 and this pin prevents the cup 41 from sliding downward on the stick.

When the operator of this device pulls on the string 36 the mouth is open and the upper part of the head assumes the position shown in broken outline in FIG. 5.

In FIG. 7 there is shown an embodiment of this invention in which the head 44 is made of a resilient foam like plastic or rubber. The mouth forming incision 45 extends well across the porous sphere at about the same angle as the incision 32 extends across the porous sphere 31 as shown in FIG. 4. The uncut portion of the sphere behind the incision 45 functions as the hinge and since the sphere 44 is of resilient porous material it is not necessary to remove a section such as the section 35 removed from the head 31 shown in FIG. 4. In order to open the mouth formed by the incision 45 pull is exerted on the string 46 which is attached to the upper part of the head by the pin 47. This causes the hinge portion to flex and the mouth of the puppet is opened. The mouth of the puppet may be caused to open by exerting finger pressure at the back of the head at 48. If this pressure is in the downward direction the flexible material on the back of the head is subjected to a pulling action which causes the mouth to open.

The edge of the cup-shaped member 49 abuts the bottom part of the head 44 so that this bottom part rests on the cup, suitable pins 50 are driven through the cup adjacent this edge and into the bottom part of the head to hold the head and cup assembled. Of course the head shown in FIG. 7 may be mounted on a collar such as that shown at 38 in FIG. 4 instead of being attached directly to the cup as shown in FIG. 7.

The embodiment of this invention shown in FIG. 8 is provided with a head 51 which may be of the type shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 7. However, the head 51 is covered with a fabric 52 and 53 having a fur-like material attached thereto. The upper and lower parts of the head are provided with the covering 52 and 53, respectively. This fur-like covering includes a fibrous material that is attached to a fabric which may be glued or pinned to the head. The fur-like portion 52 simulates the hair of the puppet and the part 52a thereof overlaps the back part of 53. The fur-like portion 53 around the front and sides simulates the beard.

The head 51 is mounted on the rod-shaped support 54 which extends into a hole formed in the head and is fastened thereto. The string 55 which is used to operate the upper portion of the head is attached thereto by the pin 55a and passes downward around the. rear of the head and into the guide tube 54a which is attached to the back part of the rod 54.

This puppet is provided with a gown 57 which is attached to the bottom part of the head by the pins 58 although it may be glued thereto instead if desired. The gown is provided with arms 59 and a rod such as indicated at 60 may be attached to one of the arms so that the operator may cause the puppet to gesture with this arm. This puppet is also provided with a hollow member 61 inside of the gown and this hollow member may be in the form of an inverted cup of paper or plastic loosely positioned on the rod 54 so that the operator may move it up and down on the rod with respect to the head of the puppet. The downward motion of the member 61 is limited by the gown 57 which is collected and drawn by the thread 57a.

The puppet shown in FIG. is provided with a head 62 which is covered by fur-like covering 63, 64 and 65. The head 62 is also made similar to that shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 7. The fur-like covering 63 forms the top hair portion and the covering 64 forms the hair portion in the back of the head and covers the cavity 62a behind the mouth incision. The fur-like covering 65 forms the beard of the puppet.

The operating string 66 is attached to the back of the head by the pin 67 and extends downward through the guide tube 66a which is attached to the back of the rod 68 that supports the puppet head on the base 69. The rod 68 may, of course, be removed from the base 69 and the puppet supported by hand.

The puppet shown in FIG. 11 is provided with a head 70 which is also similar to that shown in FIGS. 4, 5 & 7 and this puppet is provided with a body 72 made of cloth stuffed with paper, cotton or similar material. The head 70 and body 72 are supported on the rod 71. The body 72 is also provided with members 73 and 74 which simulate the arms and legs, respectively, of the puppet. An operating string 75 is attached to the back of the head by the pin 76 and extends downward through the tube 77 which is attached to the back of the rod 71.

While I have shown and described certain preferred embodiments of the invention, it is apparent that the invention is capable of variation and modification from the forms shown so that the scope thereof should be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto,

What I claim is:

1. In 'a doll-like puppet the combination of a head made of lightweight material having an incision extending across said head to a cavity in the rear of said head so that opposite parts of said incision form the mouth of the puppet, both sides of said incision being lined with fabric which forms a hinge and permits the upper part of the head above said incision to move with respect to the lower part, an operating string attached to said upper part above said cavity so that when said upper part is tilted with respect to said lower part the rear of said upper part swings into said cavity, means guiding said operating string so that pull exerted on said string pulls said upper part away from said lower part to simulate opening of said mouth, a support for said head, said lower part having a hole formed therein for receiving said support, said support projecting below said puppet head and forming a handle, said string passing from said head along said support and being accessible adjacent the bottom part of said support for operating said mouth.

2. In a doll-like puppet the combination as set forth in claim 1, further characterized in that said movable art simulates the u er 'aw of the u et and is ro- Bided with a weight v hic 1s concea e by said fa ric, 

1. In a doll-like puppet the combination of a head made of lightweight material having an incision extending across said head to a cavity in the rear of said head so that opposite parts of said incision form the mouth of the puppet, both sides of said incision being lined with fabric which forms a hinge and permits the upper part of the head above said incision to move with respect to the lower part, an operating string attached to said upper part above said cavity so that when said upper part is tilted with respect to said lower part the rear of said upper part swings into said cavity, means guiding said operating string so that pull exerted on said string pulls said upper part away from said lower part to simulate opening of said mouth, a support for said head, said lower part having a hole formed therein for receiving said support, said support projecting below said puppet head and forming a handle, said string passing from said head along said support and being accessible adjacent the bottom part of said support for operating said mouth.
 2. In a doll-like puppet the combination as set forth in claim 1, further characterized in that said movable part simulates the upper jaw of the puppet and is provided with a weight which is concealed by said fabric, said weight facilitating closing of said mouth when said string is released. 